To Forgive & Forget
by starfan88
Summary: [A few shot] What will it take to get Jude to forgive Tommy for leaving? Will she let him back in to her life or push him away forever? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Hi! I'm back with yet another fic, but this one is going to be short, probably a 5-shot. I was thinking about Tommy coming back and what it will take for Jude to forgive him for leaving. I think she's going to have a tough time letting him back in her life, and it might take something major to make her realize how important he is.

So that's what this story is about. I've got the next chapter in the works, so let me know what you think about this one and I'll try to get it out quickly. Hopefully you'll like it! Oh, and I do not own anything associated with Instant Star (I wish). Enjoy!

* * *

Jude looked up from her seated position inside the recording booth as the sound of the guitar strums gently faded into silence. Keeping her headphones on, she watched as her producer turned a few dials and flipped a switch before glancing up and giving her a thumbs up.

"That was a good take, Jude," Kwest said with a quick nod. "I think we got it. You can come in."

Jude nodded in recognition and eased the headphones off of her ears, standing up from the stool in front of the microphone. She placed the headphones on the seat and removed the guitar from over her shoulder, resting it against the wall before proceeding through the door and into the studio.

"You liked it?" she asked tentatively.

Kwest nodded and pressed a button, bringing the sound of Jude's voice throughout the small space in the studio. 

"It sounds good," he said, leaning back in his chair while Jude collapsed in the chair next to him. They sat together in silence, listening to the song she had just created.

"It feels like it's missing something…I can't put my finger on it," she muttered, closing her eyes to concentrate.

"I think you nailed it," he countered, sitting upright and looking at her with her eyes shut. "It's another hit, Jude. Stop trying to find fault…it's great."

Jude opened her eyes and looked at him, seeing his sincerity. She sighed and spun her chair to face the opposite wall. "I guess…"

He observed her reaction, sensing her doubts. "Listen, I know you're used to working with…a perfectionist," he started cautiously, "but you don't need to do all of those takes. If you nail it on the second or third shot, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with it."

"I know," she said, spinning her chair back around to face him. "I just really feel like something's missing. Maybe the chord progressions aren't right or the beat needs some work—"

"I think it's great," he said, pausing before saying what was on his mind. "Unless…do you want to get a second opinion?"

"A second opinion? Like, from Darius?" she questioned, considering his idea.

"Well…that's not exactly who I was thinking of…" Kwest answered vaguely, looking at her knowingly.

Her eyes grew wider at his insinuation. "No," she said firmly. "I know who you're thinking of, but the answer is no, Kwest."

"Why not, Jude? The guy knows your music better than anybody and if something seems off, he'll definitely be the one to pinpoint what it is."

"I'm not getting him involved. He's not my producer anymore. He doesn't get to listen to any of my music," Jude retorted decisively, crossing her arms across her body in defense.

"Jude, he's been back for two months now and you've been treating him like he's still gone…I'm not saying it's not deserved, but the guy has been agonizing over how to get you to talk to him."

Jude simply rolled her eyes without a response, still very much irritated and angry by Tommy's sudden disappearance and then reappearance in her life.

"I'm not saying to let him in completely, but if there's one thing he's good for, it's your music," Kwest said earnestly, watching her reaction closely. "You know that's true."

Jude shrugged apathetically, mumbling, "No, I don't. He _used_ to be good with my music, now I'm not so sure."

Kwest cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a look that clearly indicated he knew that she was lying to herself.

She sighed deeply, seeing his reaction, putting her hands over her eyes in thought. "Fine. Let him hear it. But only because I want this song to be perfect. He shouldn't read into this anymore than that—it's from a strictly professional, artistic perspective."

"Right, got it," Kwest said before standing up and quickly exiting the room, before she changed her mind. 

She took a deep breath and looked around the empty studio, remembering how different it used to be when she had been there all day with Tommy. He always knew exactly what she was thinking before she even had to say anything and even though he pushed her to record the same line twenty times, she knew that on that twentieth take when he would say she had nailed the song, it really was perfect.

Breaking her away from her thoughts, the door suddenly opened and Kwest walked in with Tommy behind him. She briefly looked at Tommy, catching his eye, but quickly looked away to avoid any superficial conversation. He silently walked into the studio and sat down in the chair next to her, waiting as Kwest pushed the button to allow the music to echo throughout the room.

They all sat in silence, listening to the lyrics and the melody, trying to identify exactly what was off. Tommy leaned forward onto the soundboard and closed his eyes, concentrating on the music, while Jude stayed against the back of her chair, glancing at him occasionally to try to read his expression.

As the song came to a close, Kwest switched the track off and turned towards his accomplices to get their feedback.

"I still think it sounds great," Kwest said, rewinding the track.

Jude shook her head in disagreement. "It's not right…something is off…"

"You're being overly critical, Jude. It's really perfect," Kwest countered.

"It's not perfect, I know it's missing something," Jude said, waiting for Tommy to speak up.

"It's not, it sounds great," Kwest disagreed in frustration.

Without warning, Tommy lifted his head from the soundboard and sat upright in his chair. "The tempo of the chorus is off."

Both Kwest and Jude looked at him questioningly. 

"How is it off?" she asked.

"You need a smoother transition. It goes from an up-tempo in the first verse to a down-tempo in the chorus without anything in between," Tommy responded without hesitation.

She thought for a minute and then nodded. "You know, I think you're right. It's too sudden, too--"

"Drastic," he answered for her. "I think you should speed up the chorus a bit. That might help bring it together more."

She nodded in agreement, thinking closely about his recommendation. "Speed up the chorus…okay…but I kind of like it slower."

"It can be slower, but not so slow that it feels unnatural," Tommy replied, rolling his chair over to the couch to grab the guitar that was laying there. He started to play a few chords, replicating her exact song. "Like this," he said, picking up the speed a bit as he played into the chorus.

Jude and Kwest listened closely, watching him tweak the song just enough to make it perfect. He finished playing the chorus and then looked up at them, awaiting their reactions.

"I like it," Kwest said. "It makes it flow a little better."

Tommy nodded in agreement, waiting for Jude to say something.

She thought to herself for a few moments and then looked at him, her gaze meeting his across the room. "It's perfect," she said softly.

"Yeah?" Kwest asked, surprised by her reaction.

She nodded and turned towards Kwest. "That's what it was missing. The chorus wasn't smooth. It needed a quicker tempo."

Tommy subtly grinned across the room, before placing the guitar back on the couch and standing up. He pushed the chair over towards the soundboard as Jude and Kwest sat still in their seats.

"Thanks, man," Kwest said, watching Tommy start to leave.

"No problem," Tommy said quietly, as he opened the door.

Jude hesitantly turned towards the door, making eye contact with him, and faintly mumbled, "Thank you."

He nodded at her in recognition and quickly exited the room.

Kwest and Jude sat in silence, mulling over everything that had just transpired. 

Out of the quiet, Kwest turned to Jude and uttered, "Told you so."

Without missing a beat or turning to acknowledge his statement, Jude fired back with a quick, "Shut up, Kwest." 


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all soooo much for all of your reviews!! I was totally overwhelmed by all of your comments--I didn't expect to get more than one or two, so thank you so much. Here is the second part of the story. It's pretty intense, which seems to be the theme across both my stories lately, but it gives some good background on why Jude is so angry at him...I hope you all like it! And please keep telling me what you think!! Enjoy!

* * *

Standing in hospitality, Jude hummed her new song while pouring herself another cup of coffee. She had worked with Kwest to put the final touches on the song, re-recording the chorus to mimic Tommy's version. And as she listened to the rough play back, she had to admit that she really liked the way it had turned out. Maybe Kwest was right, maybe it would be a hit. 

Not paying attention, she turned towards the refrigerator to grab the milk and accidentally bumped into someone, spilling her coffee all over them.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry—" she started, before looking up and into Tommy's blue eyes. She quickly cleared her throat and looked away, mumbling a faint, "Sorry."

"It's okay," he said, reaching for a handful of paper towels on the counter. "I don't really like this shirt anyway."

Awkwardly, she slipped around him to open the refrigerator door to grab the milk. She held the milk and silently took a step back to the counter, where her coffee mug was sitting. He was running a few paper towels under water and rubbing his shirt, trying to get rid of the stain that was forming.

She glanced over at him, watching as he struggled to get the coffee out of his blue shirt.

Feeling bad for her actions, she quietly muttered, "There's um…club soda in the fridge. That might work better than water."

He looked up at her at the sound of her voice, before turning towards the refrigerator and opening it to find a bottle of club soda. He took it out and poured a small amount onto the paper towel, then blotted it against his shirt.

She continued to stir the sugar into her coffee, glimpsing over at him occasionally to see if the coffee stain would be permanent.

As she took a sip, he looked up at her and said, "Thanks. I think it's working."

She nodded and turned around to put the milk back into the refrigerator. "Just one of the many random tips I learned on the road last year."

"Really? What else did you learn?" he asked curiously, still wiping the front of his shirt.

She stood thoughtfully, remembering all of the inane lessons she learned while stranded on a bus with three guys for three months. "Let's see…hairspray helps to keep the bugs away, ice cubes get gum out of carpet, and if you lose the stopper for a drain, a tampon actually works perfectly."

He immediately recoiled at her last remark. "I'm not even going to ask…"

"Don't," she replied convincingly. "You don't want to know."

He sniggered lightly and turned his attention back to his shirt, wiping away the remaining coffee from the bottom. She closed the refrigerator door and grabbed her mug from the counter before starting to walk away.

"I like the song," he said as she was just a few paces away from the kitchen. She stopped and turned back to look at him. He met her gaze and added, "It's really good. I like how you used the acoustic."

She gave him a faint grin and said quietly, "Thanks."

"Did Kwest finish mixing it yet?" he asked carefully.

"He's working on it now," she answered, looking down at her coffee, the discomfort of the situation creeping up on her.

Tommy paused for a moment before asking his next question. "Did he give a copy to Darius yet?"

Jude shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. I think he wants to wait until it's finished."

"He should give him a copy beforehand, in case Darius wants to make any changes," Tommy said softly, throwing out the paper towels he had used to remove the stain from his shirt.

Jude looked up at him, slightly annoyed. "Thanks for the pointer, but I think that's probably for Kwest to decide."

He sensed her irritation and replied, "I'm just saying, it might—"

"You actually don't get a say," she interrupted brusquely. "Kwest can handle it. _He's_ my producer."

At that, she turned to walk away, ignoring him calling her name behind her. As she reached the studio, she heard the sound of his footsteps behind her, knowing that he was following her. She entered Studio 2, not seeing Kwest in there, and placed her mug on the soundboard before sitting down in the chair.

He came in after her, still calling her name, not caring whether or not she wanted him to follow her.

"Jude, I'm just trying to help," he explained, closing the door.

"Well don't," she said firmly, taking a sip of her coffee. "I don't want your help. We're doing just fine without you."

He smirked a little at her response and retorted, "Really? Because it sure seemed like you needed my help before…"

She turned towards him and shot him a hostile look. "Let's not over-exaggerate here. It was one part of the song that Kwest and I disagreed on. Your role was simply to point out a tempo change in the song. That's it."

"That's it?" he repeated incredulously. "That simple tempo change was the one thing the two of you couldn't figure out on your own."

"We would've figured it out eventually," she mumbled, turning back towards the soundboard and away from his interrogative gaze.

"Right," he said with a bitter edge. "So you don't need me at all? I don't help your music one bit?"

Staring down at the soundboard, Jude bit her lip, knowing the answer to his question but being unwilling to admit it. Without a sound, she shook her head no.

He watched as she disagreed and instantly let out a sardonic laugh. "Are you kidding? Jude, I know we've had our issues, but you can honestly sit there and tell me that I'm not important to your music?"

"You're not…anymore," Jude said quietly.

He shook his head, watching her, though she refused to look at him. "Well then, it's good to know I'm not the only immature one in the room."

Her eyes narrowed and immediately met his, blazing with anger and disbelief. "Excuse me?"

He recognized the fury building in her gaze and opted to back off a little. He shook his head and mumbled, "Nothing."

She stood up and walked towards him, his accusation making her more heated. "Who the hell do you think you are? You think you can come in here and make comments like that? Do I really need to remind you of who, of the two of us, couldn't handle their problems and ran away? I may be immature when it comes to letting you come back as my producer, but I only have you to blame for that."

Tommy kept his eyes steady on her and replied, "Come on, Jude. Let's be realistic. No matter what I say or how many times I apologize, you don't want me to be your producer purely out of principle. It has nothing to do with the music or how I may or may not help you. It's because you want me to suffer for leaving."

She shook her head and backed up, leaning against the chair. "You're wrong, Tommy," she said confidently. "You're not my producer because I can't trust you. Not in any part of my life—music or otherwise. It's not that I don't want to let you in—I _won't_ let you in. Ever again."

Tommy winced slightly at her declaration. "Jude, I don't want to do this. I don't want to rehash this again. I'm sorry I said what I did and I'm sorry for leaving, but I don't know how to make things okay with us if you won't even let me try."

"You had your chance to make everything okay and you left. You left!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "You lost your chance! You're not my friend, not my producer—you're nothing to me."

"Jude—"

"That's it! I don't want to talk to you anymore! Just get out. Go find your own studio," she said harshly, looking into his eyes. Her face had reddened from emotion, as was his.

He shook his head and walked briskly towards the door. Opening it, he turned back to her and said as coldly as possible, "You know what? I'm sorry for what I said. I'm sorry for what I did. But I can't take anything back. And if you can't forgive me, then that's fine. But don't expect me to come back in here and help you with your album again."

"It doesn't matter—I don't need your help!" she yelled at him as he slammed the door behind him. "I can do it without you!"

Hearing the silence resume in the studio, Jude let out a huge breath she hadn't realized she was holding and fell onto the couch beside her. She grunted loudly in frustration and closed her eyes, putting her hands on her head.

Feeling a lump form in her throat and tears build in the back of her eyes, she quickly shook her head, keeping her eyes closed.

"Don't cry," she told herself firmly. "He's not worth it. There will be no more tears over Tom Quincy."

But no matter how many times she said it, the tears filled her eyes and gently rolled down her cheeks, crying once again over the one person she had vowed to never again let affect her.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi - thanks to everyone for being patient on this update. It should've been up sooner, so I'm sorry for the wait! Just a couple of quick notes: 1. I've decided to not give away the reason why Tommy left. I don't think it's too important for the story and I like leaving it open ended (at least for now). 2. Since this is the half-way point in the story, you'll see that it takes a turn towards the end of this chapter, which will be the main focus of the second half.

This part picks up where the last chapter leaves off, right after Tommy stormed out of the studio, leaving Jude alone and upset. Thanks for all of your feedback on this fic! I really hope you like it. :) Enjoy!

* * *

Still laying on the couch with her hands over her eyes, Jude heard the door gently creak open and footsteps enter the room.

"Everything okay in here?" she heard, peeking through her hands to see Kwest standing in the doorway apprehensively.

She sighed and removed her hands, sitting up on the couch. "Just dandy," she mumbled faintly.

He came into the room, sitting down in his usual chair next to the soundboard. "So…I take it we won't be getting any more advice from Tommy anytime soon."

She eyed him closely, recognizing that Kwest had obviously heard them arguing.

"How much did you hear?" she asked sheepishly.

"It was muffled," he responded flatly. "Everyone heard both of your voices but we couldn't tell what you were saying."

She sighed and stood up, starting to pace the room while thinking aloud.

"He's just so…frustrating!" she cried. "Do you know what he said to me? He told me that I'm just as immature as he is. Ha! Like I could ever come close to being at his level. I'm not the one who ran away, I'm not the one who hides until his problems go away."

"He didn't have a choice, Jude. He had to leave," Kwest said persuasively.

"I realize that, but did he have to ignore all of my calls? Or all of yours? It was his choice to separate himself like he did. He has no one to blame but himself for being in this situation."

"I agree with you," Kwest said, getting her to stop ranting. "But I understand where the guy's coming from. He had to leave and he didn't want to upset you more by calling. He just wanted to take care of his own issues and then come home."

Jude sighed loudly and sat back down on the couch. "It wasn't a very mature way of handling things though."

"Agreed," Kwest said with a nod. "It was poor judgment. But he's trying, Jude."

"Trying to what?" she questioned. "Trying to insult me? Trying to frustrate me more than I already was?"

"Trying to get through to you," Kwest explained.

"Well maybe I don't want him to," Jude grumbled, sitting back against the couch. "I don't need him, Kwest. It's just his giant ego that makes him think I do."

Kwest looked at her in disbelief, shaking his head. "Maybe not…but I think you do."

"Thanks for your support," she spat sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him.

"I'm just saying, you two need each other. He needs you too."

Jude sat quietly, crossing her arms. "Whatever…" she muttered, staring vacantly around the room.

Kwest smirked to himself and turned back around to finish mixing her latest single.

--------------------

Two hours later, the song was complete and Kwest and Jude were on their way out for the night. They packed up their belongings and turned the lights out in Studio 2 before heading into the main room at G-Major. A few people were still roaming around as they walked in.

"Want me to walk you out?" Kwest offered, zipping up his jacket.

"Nah, thanks, though," Jude replied. "I'm actually going to stick around and wait a few minutes for Sadie. My car's in the shop."

"In the shop?" he questioned doubtfully.

Jude grinned timidly and said, "I backed into my own garage."

Kwest let out a loud snort at her response, shaking his head. "Wow, remind me to never get in the car with you."

"It was a mistake!" she cried in defense. "I thought I put the car in drive, but apparently it was in reverse."

"Right," he said, calming down. "Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I think having your sister on the road might actually be safer than you."

"Excuse me?" Sadie questioned, coming up from behind him.

"What I meant to say, Jude," Kwest said quickly, looking at Sadie with an uncomfortable grin, "was that you could get some lessons on how to drive correctly and safely from your sister. Your sister, the perfect driver and perfect girlfriend."

Sadie smirked at him, appreciating his attempt to change his response. "Uh huh...well, I suppose I can't argue with that."

"Good," Kwest said in relief, turning back to Jude. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Jude replied. "I'll see you in the morning."

He nodded, then turned towards Sadie and gave her a quick kiss before taking off.

"You could go with him if you want," Jude said as he walked away. "I could just take your car home."

"Right. Like I would ever let you drive my car after what you've done to your own," Sadie said with a smirk, walking back towards the front desk to collect her things.

"I'm not that bad!" Jude shouted after her, following her to the desk.

"I sure hope you're talking about your driving," a familiar voice sounded behind her.

She turned around and locked eyes with Tommy standing across the room. Seeing him, she immediately rolled her eyes and continued walking, pausing briefly by Sadie's desk.

"I'll wait for you outside," Jude muttered quickly before walking straight towards the door and into the parking lot.

Tommy sighed, seeing her reaction, and walked slowly over to Sadie's desk.

"Hey," he said, as Sadie went to shut down her computer. "You two heading out for the night?"

"Yeah," Sadie replied, seeing him gaze off towards the doorway where Jude had gone. "She'll come around, you know."

He looked back at Sadie, startled by her comment, but quietly responded, "You think?"

"I do," Sadie said. "You definitely did a number on her though."

"I know," he said earnestly. "I know I let her down. I know I have to make up for it, but it's kind of hard to do when she won't talk to me.

"My sister can be really stubborn. You should know that," she replied, grabbing her bag and coat.

He exhaled loudly and looked down in disappointment.

"Just give her some time," Sadie said softly. "She needs some time and some space. Okay?"

He looked up at her and nodded in understanding. "I get it."

"Good," Sadie said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you," he replied, as they both turned to go their separate ways.

The ride home was tense, as Jude stayed completely silent the whole trip. She didn't want to let Sadie in on the real reasons why she felt so hurt, so neglected and why she couldn't accept Tommy back into her life. Wanting to just forget her day and everything that had occurred, she marched upstairs the moment she stepped foot inside her house and got ready to go to sleep.

----------------

In the midst of her sleep, Jude was awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of a blaring ring. Half-asleep, she fumbled with her alarm, trying to turn it off, but the ring kept echoing throughout her room. She pulled herself up to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes to become more coherent, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. In her daze, she realized that it was her cell phone across the room in her bag. She pushed herself out of bed and stumbled across the room, knocking into her desk and causing a pile of books to tumble over onto the floor.

"Shit," she muttered woozily, before leaning down and rummaging through her bag to obtain her cell phone. Without looking at it, she opened it up, finally silencing the ring.

"Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Jude?"

She sighed into the phone and dragged herself back across the room, plopping down on her bed. "Kwest, it's like 3am…"

"I know," he replied.

"Unless there's a fire at the studio, can you please call me back in a few hours?" she pleaded, her eyes already closing again.

"I can't do that, Jude," he said sternly. "I'm in my car, on my way to your house."

"What? Why?" she asked, her eyes opening in surprise.

He took a deep breath, which she heard on the other end of the line, causing her to add, "Kwest? Is everything okay?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Now don't panic…"

"Oh no," she reacted, sitting upright.

"…but there was an accident," he said calmly.

"Accident? What kind of accident? Are you okay? What happened?" she asked quickly, now completely awake.

"I'm fine, it wasn't me…I actually just got the call a few minutes ago…"

"Then what is it? Kwest, what happened?" she asked, her voice showing her sudden alarm.

"I don't know the details, I won't know until we get to the hospital," he explained, pausing before continuing. "It's Tommy."

Her heart immediately dropped at the sound of his name. Her whole body turned numb, not being able to feel the softness of her blanket or the draft of cold air coming from her window that was cracked open. Her heart began to pound, hearing it echo louder and louder as her breathing began to quicken.

"Jude? Jude? Did you hear me?" Kwest asked, only hearing silence from her end of the call.

She swallowed hard to bring herself back to reality, his words echoing in her mind.

"I'll be downstairs in five minutes."


	4. Chapter 4

Hi--thanks guys for all of your reviews on this fic! I promise I won't lead you astray here...jommy all the way :-) Here's the fourth installment to this fic, which means the next one will be the last one. Both of my fics are ending around the same time, so I'm a little sad, but I'm hoping to come up with some more good ideas...these new promo's are definitely helping!

Anyway, I wanted to wish you all a happy holidays!! I hope you enjoy the holiday season and have a great new year (although I'm hoping to post again before then!). And enjoy the next chapter. :)

* * *

Jude paced around the waiting room, chewing on her nails and trying to focus on the white grained tiles below her feet. For being in the middle of the night, there was a good deal of activity outside the walls of the waiting area, but Jude tuned all of that out in an attempt to refocus her nervous energy. She kept thinking of all the 'what if's.' What if Tommy wasn't okay? What if she never got to talk to him again? What if her last words to him were that she didn't need him? She could never forgive herself for ending everything like that…but what if she never got the chance to tell him the truth?

Sitting in one of the blue chairs in the middle of the room was Kwest, who was quickly flipping through a magazine, not bothering to read any of the pages. Two seats down from him was Darius, emailing on his blackberry. And finally, next to him, was Portia, who also held a magazine, not moving from the same page in the last fifteen minutes.

Out of the silence, Portia sighed and put the magazine down.

"We haven't heard anything. Maybe we should ask again?"

"They'll tell us when they have something worth telling," Darius replied sternly without looking up from his blackberry.

"Well, how long is that going to be? He's been here for at least an hour and no one can tell us anything?" Portia protested. "The only person we've heard a peep from was that cop, and he didn't sound too upbeat."

"Well he saw the accident. It didn't sound too pretty," Darius cut in.

"That other car rammed right into the driver's side," Kwest finished. "Not much to be upbeat about."

"Did he say how fast Tommy was going?" Portia asked.

"Around 100," Kwest replied. "Which is fast, but on Woodside Avenue with the street so curvy, it's crazy. And Tommy knew that…he never drove faster than 40 around there, even with the Viper."

"Did he say whether or not he had been drinking?" she questioned.

Kwest shrugged, saying, "I don't know. If he was, it sounds like it wasn't much, but I guess the doctors will know for sure."

"And did he—"

"Can you please stop with all of the questions?" Jude sharply interrupted out of nowhere. Her voice had yet to sound from the moment they stepped foot into the hospital and everyone's eyes immediately diverted to her at her question.

She looked up, stopping her pacing, and sighed. "I just don't want to hear all of the details again, okay?"

Portia nodded in understanding, sitting back in her seat again in silence. After a few moments, she picked up her magazine and began flipping through it, as Jude resumed walking around the room.

Ten minutes later, a doctor emerged from a set of double doors, reading a clip board.

"Thomas Quincy?" he offered into the room, as all of them stood up and walked towards the doctor.

"That's us," Darius said, waiting anxiously to hear the news.

The doctor looked at the small group and nodded, before glancing back down at his chart and beginning to read aloud. "It looks like your friend was quite lucky."

The minute they all heard that sentence, they let out a huge breath. Jude, standing at the back, suddenly felt the back of her eyes burn with tears as the doctor continued.

"He has a few fractures, mainly in his left leg, some bruised ribs, and a slight concussion, but otherwise, he looks like he's going to be fine."

"That's great," Darius said.

"Is he in pain at all?" Portia asked.

"Yes, he'll have a good deal of pain for a few weeks," the doctor replied. "I have him on a mild pain killer, but it should take a few weeks for the ribs and I'd say about a month or two for the fractures to heal."

"Can he go home?" Kwest asked.

"Not quite yet," the doctor said, closing his chart. "We'd like to keep him here for the next day or two for observation. We ran some tests to make sure there was no internal bleeding or nerve damage, but I'd like to monitor him to make sure there are no other after-effects from the accident."

"Was there…" Portia started hesitantly. "Do you know if there was any alcohol in his system?"

"There was," the doctor confirmed, opening his chart again, "but it wasn't enough to be above the legal limit. It looks like he had a drink or two before getting in the car. He should've been capable to drive, so I'm not entirely sure as to why he was driving so recklessly in that area."

As the doctor continued, explaining his course of treatment, Kwest glanced back at Jude. Seeing the tears silently roll down her cheeks, he reached out and grabbed her hand in reassurance.

"He'll definitely need some help, especially over the first few weeks," the doctor was saying, as Kwest and Jude tuned back in. "I'm sure he'll be uncomfortable and he certainly won't be able to drive."

"Great," Kwest mumbled. "Because he makes such a pleasant passenger."

They all laughed lightly as Darius jumped in with one final question.

"Can we see him?"

The doctor glanced down at his watch and replied, "For just a few minutes. He really needs his rest. And technically, visiting hours don't begin for another 3 hours, so you can only go in one at a time."

"That's fine," Darius agreed, turning towards the group for their approval before following behind the doctor through the double doors.

Jude sat down in one of the chairs, looking down in an attempt to come to terms with the news. Her tears had stopped falling, but her heart continued to ache. Okay, he wasn't going to die, this wasn't the end…so why did she still feel like breaking down?

Each member of the group gradually stood up and went to see Tommy – first Darius, then Kwest, then Portia. As Portia was inside the room, Jude felt her nerves get the best of her, not having any clue as to what to say to him. How could she talk to him after their confrontation earlier? Wasn't it enough that she was there? Clearly she cared, but facing him in person seemed like more than she could handle.

Turning to Kwest who was seated next to her, she said firmly, "I'm not going."

Looking up from his magazine, he asked, "What?"

"I'm not going," she repeated. "When Portia gets back, I'm not going in."

Kwest shot a questioning look at Darius who had glanced up from his blackberry at the sound of Jude's declaration. He then looked back at Jude and sighed.

"Jude…"

"Kwest, I can't," she said louder. "I can't…face him. I don't know what to say. And I must be the last person he wants to see right now."

"Actually, you're the first," Darius said from across the room.

Jude's gaze immediately darted towards him, watching him lower his blackberry and put it into his pocket.

"What do you mean?" she asked confusedly.

"He asked for you," Darius said flatly.

Jude's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Darius sighed and sat further back in his chair. "When I walked in, he was half-asleep. He must've heard the door open and thought it was you. He said your name."

Jude's mouth opened to respond, but quickly shut without a word. Why would he think that? Why would he want to see her?

"I really didn't think I resembled you," Darius continued with a grin, "but I guess after some heavy medication, people see what they want. Or who they want."

Jude slumped back in her chair, not sure what to say. "But…why? Why would he think…I mean, after everything that I said…"

"Jude, _he's_ the only one who can answer that," Kwest said, as Portia emerged from behind the doors to the hospital ward. She walked into the waiting area and looked at Jude.

"You're up," she said, taking a seat near Darius.

Jude's eyes showed her confusion, not sure whether to move or stay in her seat. She looked at Kwest who gave her a small nod, urging her to go.

Slowly, she felt her legs lift her off chair and walk towards the door. She took a deep breath before pushing the doors open and stepping foot into the corridor leading to Tommy's room. She took each step carefully and drifted down the long white hallway.

Her heart pounded faster seeing his doctor standing outside a room in the distance. She took deep breaths, trying to calm down, as she got closer to him. As she approached him, he glanced up from his clip board to look at her.

"You can go in," he said. "I need to do some paperwork, so just come get me when you're done. I'll be by the nurse's station."

Jude nodded wordlessly and watched as the doctor walked away towards the desk at the end of the hall. Turning her attention back to the task before her, she gazed into the small window on the door, seeing the outline of Tommy's body lying on a bed in the middle of the room. She felt the tears burn the back of her eyes again as she gently turned the door knob to open the door. She hesitantly stepped inside the room, staying close to the door, hearing it close behind her.

She looked at him across the room, lying lifelessly, one leg set in a temporary cast. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale under the bright neon lights.

She let out a deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she watched him shift in the bed. She saw his eyes slowly open, blinking a few times to adjust to the bright light. He turned his head a little to see the figure standing near the door, meeting her gaze.

She felt the tears leave the back of her eyes and roll down her cheeks watching him. They both remained quiet, looking at each other across the room. He continued to blink a few times, as though he were trying to figure out if he was dreaming.

Finally, he cleared his throat and let out a quiet, "Hi."

She shifted a bit against the door, wiping the tears away from her eyes and softly replied, "Hi."


	5. Chapter 5

Here it is, the last chapter! Thanks to everybody for reading and especially to those of you who have reviewed. Your comments really helped inspire me on this one, especially since it's my first fic-let. So I hope you're all happy with this ending...thanks again and have a very happy new years:-)

* * *

From the last chapter… 

Looking at each other across the room, Tommy swallowed and let out a quiet, "Hi."

Jude shifted a little against the door, wiping the tears away from her eyes and softly replied, "Hi."

---------

Standing against the door of his room, Jude was afraid to move or step in closer, as she met Tommy's eyes across the room. He vaguely made out the tears rolling down her cheeks as he kept his eyes fixated on hers, startled but captivated by her appearance.

"How are you?" she asked, her voice wavering in nervousness.

"Okay," he said, pushing himself up to a sitting position. "Been better, but I guess I can't complain too much."

She nodded in understanding. "Well, you'll be happy to know that your hair still looks nice."

He smiled at her comment, making him appear more like himself and giving him more energy. "Thanks."

She smiled a little too, still feeling uncomfortable. A quiet fell over the room as they both grew unsure of themselves, unsure of what to say.

Tommy decided to break the silence, knowing that there was a lot that needed to be said.

"Jude…about before…"

"Don't," she said quickly, feeling the tears start rolling down her cheeks again. "We don't need to go over all of that again."

"No, I want to," he countered. "You deserve an apology. A real one. And I never really gave that to you…Jude, I am so sorry for everything I put you through. For leaving and then coming back the way I did. It wasn't right—any of it. I owed you more than that, and I'm sorry for how I handled everything."

She stood motionless listening to his apology, but found the tears becoming more frequent by the end of it.

Not hearing a reaction, he continued. "I feel terrible for everything I said before—"

"Tommy," she said, causing him to pause speaking. "Just…stop. Please. You don't owe me anything. You've already apologized. A few times. But I…"

He watched as she stumbled, looking down in an attempt to find the right words. The tears fell swiftly down her cheeks and onto the floor, as his heart broke watching her struggle.

She looked up and wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself. She took a deep breath and shrugged in defeat, "What can I say? You tried and I wouldn't listen to any of it…not your apologies or explanations or anything…and even though what you did wasn't right, _I_ was the one who handled it immaturely."

He sat in silence, holding his breath as she attempted to explain everything.

"Those few months when you were gone, they were really bad for me," she said softly, looking away from his intense gaze. "I felt like you took some piece of me with you when you left and I couldn't figure out how to keep going without it."

He glanced down listening to her words, the guilt straining his every breath. He had wanted her to open up, but actually hearing the words come out of her mouth only made him feel ashamed.

"When you came back," she continued, "all of my confusion and emptiness somehow turned into anger. You may not have handled it all perfectly, but neither did I. Far from perfect, actually. Instead of trying to get back whatever it was that I had lost, I let my anger get the best of me."

His expression softened, his eyes showing his remorse, as she added, "So for that, and for not listening or giving you a chance, I'm really, truly sorry."

He was partially stunned by her confession, not knowing what to say in response. He had never expected to hear her apologize like she did, and watching her only made him want to pull her in and hold her close.

"When Kwest called tonight, I didn't even think twice. I didn't think about any of our arguments or how much anger I had…all of that instantly disappeared," she admitted, slowly stepping away from the door and edging closer towards him. "It's one thing to have lost you when you left town, but it's totally different if I had lost you altogether."

"But you didn't," he said, his voice low. "I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. Ever again."

She stepped closer, approaching his bed, holding on to the side. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been okay…"

"Don't think like that," he said, placing a hand over hers. His touch made her shiver slightly. "I _am_ okay."

She sniffed a little, her tears finally slowing, as he looked at her closely.

"Jude, I hope you know that I didn't want to leave. You've been so important to me and I never wanted to disappoint you the way I did. I would never have walked out on you if I didn't have to…and if I hadn't left…"

"Who knows where we'd be now," Jude finished quietly. They faintly grinned at each other, both recalling the date that had yet to actually happen.

She sighed and said, "I guess we really screwed everything up, huh?"

"Not necessarily," he said hopefully. "Even though we can't change what we did or what we said, we _can_ change things from here on out."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously, gently sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Well, maybe we can…start over. Start fresh," he offered. "I'm not saying we can forget about everything, but it would be nice if we could wipe the slate clean and start again."

"Start again," she mumbled in consideration. "I kind of like that idea…but it's going to take some time. I mean, I can't just go back to how we were before or trust you like I did."

He nodded in understanding. "I know. And that's okay. We'll work on it."

She nodded in response, thinking intently. "And you're okay with not being my producer?"

"Yes," he replied calmly. "But I'll be around if you want any help. Or any reason to gang up on Kwest."

She smiled faintly at his response, knowing that she could always use an extra person to help annoy Kwest.

"Deal?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She smiled wider and brought her hand to his. "Deal."

He smiled in response, holding onto her hand. Silence set in as they both remained contemplative, breathing normally again and more at ease in each others' presence.

Out of nowhere, she asked quietly, "So…now that we're semi-friends again, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replied eagerly.

She pulled her hand away from his grip to smack him on his arm. "What the hell were you thinking driving that fast in that area?"

"Ow!" he cried, rubbing where she had hit. "That hurt! Have pity, I'm injured here!"

"Pity? You don't get pity for driving 100 miles an hour on Woodside Avenue. Are you completely insane?"

"Wow, welcome back the old Jude," he commented quietly, seeing her feistiness reappear. "I don't know…I was frustrated and had a bad day."

"Because of me?" she asked timidly.

"No…I don't know…I just….," he sighed, scratching his head. He looked at her and shrugged. "You want to know the truth? Honestly?"

She nodded, readjusting on the bed a little. "Yes."

"And do you promise not to say anything mean or judge me or anything?"

She looked at him curiously, his words striking her interest. "Sure."

He sighed again and looked down shyly. "I…I…"

"Yes…" she said in anticipation.

"I…really had to…go to the bathroom."

Her jaw dropped at his statement. "What?"

"I went to a bar with Chaz to get a drink after work and really had to go to the bathroom. But they were cleaning the ones at the bar, so I raced out of there to go home before I had an accident all over the Viper."

She immediately brought her hand over her mouth to conceal her smile. She took a deep breath and removed her hand, revealing a smirk waiting to explode. "And you…couldn't pull over or something? A gas station?"

"Seriously?" he asked in disbelief. "Jude, come on. You know me. A makeshift restroom? Never."

Not being able to hold it in, a giggle escaped through her lips at his confession.

"It's not funny! I nearly got myself killed!" he defended.

Through giggles, she said, "Yeah, you almost died from having to pee."

"I had to go!" he exclaimed, watching as her giggles became full-blown laughter.

"I can see it now," she said, holding up her hand to show an imaginary headline, "_'Boy Bander Found Dead after Bathroom Emergency.'_" She immediately burst into hysterics, leaning over the bed and laughing uncontrollably.

"Okay, okay…it wasn't _that_ funny…" he said seriously, but watching her made him start to laugh a little too.

She leaned back up, tears in her eyes from laughing so hard and added, "I could've put on your tombstone: _'Here Lies Tom Quincy: He Really Had to Go.'_"

He burst out into laughter at her comment, not being able to hold it in any longer. He reached behind him and grabbed an extra pillow, smacking her over the head with it. "It's not funny! Stop!" But they both kept laughing, unable to catch their breath.

From behind them, there was a gentle knock as the door cracked opened. They both turned around mid-laugh to see Kwest standing before them.

"Hey…" Kwest said skeptically, looking between them like they were nuts, "Everything okay in here?"

"Yeah," Jude answered through giggles.

"You sure about that?" Kwest asked, hesitantly stepping into the room.

"Yeah," Tommy said calming down. "Sorry. Jude's making fun of me."

"It's hard not to," Jude said, smiling. "Mr. _Pee_-ceful."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Tommy asked her.

She shook her head. "Nope. Sorry. You knew I wouldn't really let this go…"

"Okay, you two are seriously starting to worry me," Kwest said, furrowing his brow and looking at them in confusion. "Jude, did you take his meds or something?"

"No, I'm fine," Jude said, standing up. "Seriously."

"Okay…" Kwest said. "Well the doctor came to find us, he thought you had forgotten to get him."

"Oh yeah, I should probably go," Jude said, wiping her eyes and calming down.

"Yeah, you need your rest, man," Kwest said to Tommy. "But we'll be back tomorrow."

"Yeah?" Tommy asked, looking at Jude.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. We'll see you tomorrow."

Kwest watched her and grinned, knowing whatever had happened while they were in the room had clearly brought them back together again.

"Take it easy," he said with a nod towards Tommy before walking towards the door.

"Good night," Jude said with a smile, turning to follow. But as she took a step, she quickly turned back and walked over to his bed, leaning down to gently place a kiss on his head.

Tommy smiled at her actions and then felt her warm breath in his ear.

"The bathroom's in the corner, if you need it," she whispered, pulling back to reveal a mischievous smile.

He shook his head and grinned at her as she stepped away. "Ha ha, very funny."

"Sweet dreams," she said with a smile, turning around and joining Kwest in the hallway, leaving a contented Tommy to get his rest.

_END_

------------------


End file.
